Tethered By Fate

Mornings start early in the Moon crescent pack, with mine beginning a little earlier than most. I swing my legs out of bed and stretch for moment before quickly getting ready for the day. As I pull my hair into a loose tie, I catch a glimpse of myself on the small mirror balanced on top of the old cabinet. Tangled red hair and pale skin with sharp green eyes staring back at the slim figure wrapped in yesterday’s jumper dress. It's not exactly centre-fold material but hey, I clean up alright…if you squint hard enough. The cabinet itself is chipped, wobbly, and made of pine that has been painted over too many times but it gets the job done. The soft whirr from the irrigation pipes snaps me back to reality so I quickly grab the tools and head to the fields. The air is cool as I step outside but I don’t mind it, I’ve always liked the quiet that comes just before the sun rises. No one asking for help, no clanging pans, and no last-minute emergencies with exploding fertilizer sacks(that was one time and yes I still smell faintly of compost when it rains.) My name is Lily and as of today, I’m 18. I’m Gamma born but I come from a different pack, which was destroyed by a rogue group when I was five. I don’t remember much about my parents, only the memory of someone placing me at the edge of the Moon Crescent’s border and leaving me there. They took me in but raised me as an omega. It's nothing glamorous but it's home. Moon Crescent is a working pack. We grow things – wheat, vegetables, berries, and herbs, then sell them to other packs. Most packs buy from us it's what we are notorious for. Farming might not sound exciting but trust me nothing builds character like wrestling mutant carrots out of overly eager soil. I make my way through the narrow paths between the fields, nodding towards the greenhouse where the irrigation hums gently, and start checking the roots of the sprouting beans. I spot the Alpha twins in the distance, Aiden and Alya making their usual routine checks to make sure everything runs smoothly. Unlike most Alpha-borns, they are nice people and treat everyone equally. They even helped me replant the east field last spring. Well, mostly supervised while I did the dirty work but it's the thought that counts. This time, however, they are joined by him, Beta Chris. Calm, composed and always carrying that quiet strength about that makes people instinctively fall a step behind him. He’s the kind of person who notices everything but rarely says much unless it matters. Which is probably why when he does speak, everyone listens. I try not to stare but my eyes always drift his way, maybe out of habit. I wish I didn’t feel the tight little twist in my chest whenever he is near. It's foolish, I know, he has a girlfriend and he has never given me a reason to think he’d see me as anything more. But still, no matter how much I try to reason with myself, the feeling doesn’t go away. It just sits there, quiet, unwanted, and stubborn. And then, just as he looks up, we lock eyes. Imagine my surprise when my wolf practically howled inside me, Mate. I blinked. Perfect, just perfect